Unspeakable: A True Crime Podcast By Kelly Jennings · Envision Podcast Productions

DTL - Part 15: Takedown

·35 min·2 clips

The Baton Rouge serial killer’s DNA match led investigators to Derek Todd Lee.

1. Unspeakable: A True Crime Podcast By Kelly Jennings follows DTL, Part 15: Takedown, as the Baton Rouge serial killer case shifts from profiling errors to DNA identification. 2. Kelly Jennings narrates the case as host, while Tony Frudakis of DNA Print Genomics and forensic analyst Natasha Poe become central because their lab work changes the investigation. 3. The episode asks what happens when the FBI’s original white-male profile collapses and forensic science points investigators toward Derek Todd Lee. 4. Jennings describes five women already linked to the same man, overtime costs topping half a million dollars, and families like Lynn Marino and Ann Pace speaking publicly for answers. 5. The narrative ties the investigation to Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Port Allen, St. Francisville, and South Louisiana neighborhoods where victims lived or were found. 6. Frudakis explains that CODIS was designed to link offenders already in the system and that its markers excluded race-related identification. 7. He says the omission was intentional and rooted in political fear that race-based identification would trigger backlash. 8. Witness reports in the episode do not line up neatly, with some describing a white male and white truck while others describe a black man and different vehicles. 9. Jennings notes that police had considered white trucks, gold Mitsubishi, and burgundy truck descriptions while trying to stabilize the suspect profile. 10. The story returns to Frudakis’s lab in Sarasota, Florida, where 20 DNA samples are tested under controlled conditions before the killer sample is analyzed. 11. Natasha Poe’s reaction to the result becomes a key moment, because she sees the match and calls her supervisor immediately. 12. The lab result identifies the killer as 85% Sub-Saharan African and 15% Native American, which forces investigators to discard the earlier white-male assumption. 13. Jennings connects that correction to specific witnesses, including Diane Alexander and the sketch tied to a black male driving a gold Mitsubishi. 14. The episode emphasizes that a new press release on March 21, 2003 tells the public to look for a black male, not the white suspect described earlier. 15. Investigators then cross-reference Derek Todd Lee with prior tips, including Collette Walker naming him as a person of interest years earlier. 16. Danny Mixon’s timeline links job loss, court dates, and specific murders such as Connie Warner, Randy Meebrewer, Gina Green, Jerilyn DeSoto, and Kerry Yoder. 17. Jennings uses a documentary-style tone with repeated case recap, quoted affidavits, and close attention to dates, addresses, and investigative steps. 18. The pacing alternates between courtroom procedure, lab analysis, and street-level surveillance, especially when investigators wait at Lee’s home to collect DNA. 19. Listeners who follow forensic true crime, serial-killer investigations, and DNA profiling will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners who want a light recap, short-form mystery, or minimal case detail may skip it.

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